Saturday, October 30, 2010

UK - Daily Echo letter - Fluoride can affect the biosystem

Fluoride can affect the biosystemWITH the 'ecological disaster' in Hungary, we need to be aware of similar dangers in south Hampshire. A particular peril here is, of course, the Fawley Refinery. If a major accident happened then not only would there be pollution from the potential petrochemical explosion, but also from the fluoride gas released.Whilst there has been a lot of discussion about the major health dangers of fluoride in water, what many do not realise is that children may already ingest too much fluoride. The EU scientific committee currently looking at fluoride has said as much in its preliminary report.• Fluoride is in our food from pesticide residues. Fluoride is used as it is lethal to buy in tiny doses.• It is in the air from emissions of fluoride gases by industry (eg hydrogen fluoride)• It is in our tea• In future it may also be added to our water• Not to mention the massive levels of fluoride in toothpaste, levels that could kill a small child if he or she were to eat just one tube.Many aquatic animals cannot live in fluoridated water from our taps (e.g. frogs die very quickly). One of the first things to die when we have just a few parts per billion of airborne fluoride poisoning is bees.As a gas hydrogen fluoride (HF) is more dangerous than theFirst World War poisonous gases, and HF one of the most toxic gases known to man. If we had a major emission of hydrogen fluoride, such as from the Fawley refinery or from a water treatment plant accident, then that could be as big a disaster as Bhopal in India in 1984.Now we also have the danger of terrorist attack. If they attack a fluoride store, then that could trigger this Bhopal style poisonous gas disaster we fear.Storing fluorides at water treatment plants adds to the probability of accidents or attacks, especially transporting fluoride. We need to reduce our exposure to fluorides generally and to the possibility of fluoride related accidents specifically.JOHN SPOTT1SWOODE, Southampton.